Fixer Upper
by RosieLynn
Summary: Nessie is super excited to begin college. Of course she'll miss her family and Jake, but she'll see them all the time...right? At least she has a sweet roommate, Felicity, to keep her company. Unfortunately, Felicity has a not-so-sweet boyfriend who spends too much time in the dorm. But when Felicity's grandmother dies, her life begins to change, affecting Nessie's as well.
1. Chapter 1

Nessie's POV

"Come on Nessie, we've got to get going." My dad touches my shoulder and I tighten my arms around my Aunt Rose.

"I'm going to miss you all so much." My voice is quiet, but I know everyone can hear me.

"But we'll see you every weekend!" Uncle Emmett reminds me, pulling me away from his wife and gathering me in a bone-crushing hug. "You won't have time to miss us."

"True." I laugh and wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. This, of course, makes everyone sigh sadly and gather around me for another group hug.

My mom gently pulls me away from my loving family. "Sweetie, we really have to go if we're going to make orientation. I'm sure we'll be pushing it even with your dad's crazy driving." We all chuckle.

"Actually," Aunt Alice says proudly, "she can stay for twenty-six more minutes and still make it in time!"

I chuckle, but agree with my parents when they say it would be pushing it. With a final farewell, the family watches Mom, Dad, Jake and I climb into the car. They wave as we leave, and I wave back long after they've disappeared, figuring that they can still see me.

Sensing my sadness, Jake throws an arm around me, and I gladly lean into his side.

"Are you excited?"

"Yes, I really am...I'm just going to miss everyone so much." I sigh sadly. "Especially you." I place my hand on his cheek and show him exactly how much it pains me to be away from him. His grip on me tightens, and he takes my free hand in his.

"For me too." His eyes are sad, but he tries to hide it for my sake. "But like Emmett said, you'll be back every weekend. You won't have time to miss us."

There's always time for that, I think. My dad chuckles.

I lean into Jake's chest and the four of us fill the silence with whatever comes to mind. Too soon, and yet not soon enough, we arrive at the University of Washington. I'm filled with a chaotic mixture of sadness, excitement, pain, and euphoria as I see my new home come into view.

"We're here!" My mom's voice is excited, but I can detect a layer of unhappiness.

Dad parks effortlessly near my dorm building, and the four of us get out of the car. Since my entourage is made up of two vampires and a werewolf, it only takes us one easy trip to bring all of my bags inside the dorm. We quickly find my room, number 205, in the beginning of a long hallway. On the door are two signs, each filled with decorations, with two names spelled out. The first is mine, Renesmee Cullen. The second, I assume, belongs to my roommate; Felicity Ferryn.

"Wow, that's a name." I giggle.

Jake scoffs. "You're one to talk, Renesmee."

I giggle, and Mom shoots him a glare. Dad hands me the key, and let's me do the honors while Mom snaps many, many pictures. After turning the key in the lock, I open my door and am pleasantly surprised. My room actually isn't bad. In truth, it's pretty nice. Very spacious, with a living room, kitchen, and doors on opposite sides that I assume lead to bedrooms. The floors are a nice, new wood, and the walls are painted a soft cream. I assume my family pulled some strings to make this happen.

"Yep." Dad answers with a smile. I smile back gratefully.

"Which one is mine?"

"The bigger one, obviously. Come on, let's judge." Jacob grabs my hand and pulls me into the room on the right. It's a nice room, spacious like the rest of the suite. The hardwood floors continue, but this time the walls are painted a soft blue. There's a large window looking out at the courtyard filled with trees. The queen sized bed is pushed against a wall, and on the other side of the room is a medium sized desk. Near the desk, we find the door that leads to my closet. It's small- much smaller than my closet at home, but it will do. Opposite from my bed, there's a door that leads into a shared bathroom. I sigh when I realize I'll have to share, but upon further inspection decide that there will be enough room for the both of us. We use the connecting bathroom to enter the other room, which is a mirror of mine except that the walls are painted lavender, and the window is slightly larger.

I turn to Jake. "I like the first room better."

He grins. "Then let's move in!"

My dad suddenly appears behind him and places a hand on his shoulder. "You mean, let's move her in." He's joking, but there's a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course." Jacob says politely to him, but he rolls his eyes at me. I laugh.

We carry my things to my room and I look at the clock. "Crap, orientation starts in fifteen minutes. I should go."

Mom nods. "We'll start setting you up."

I thank them. "I'll go with you." Jake says, happily taking my hand. "I need to find a place to eat." We giggle at Jake's always present appetite and walk into the hallway.

We quickly find the building where orientation will be held, and Jacob kisses me goodbye. "I'll be out here when you're done. You said three hours, right?"

"Ish." I reply.

"Great. I'm gonna go check out the food here." He begins to back away. "Don't worry Ness, I'm gonna try out every food place here. I'll tell you the best places to eat! I won't let you down!" I giggle and wave as he runs towards the nearest restaurant, neatly dodging people as he goes.

Smiling, I turn and walk into the building, ready for the next three hours.

{***}

Exactly three hours and seventeen minutes later, my head is filled with exciting knowledge and "little known facts" about Washington University. I walk out of the building and am happy to see Jake waiting for me, food in hand.

"Thank you." I pluck a sandwich from his hand and quickly take a bite. My eyes widen in surprise. "Wow, this is good."

"Right?" He questions proudly. "I ate at four different sandwich places before I found the perfect one."

I place my hand over my heart and pretend to be touched. "You're too good to me."

He just grins and takes my hand, walking towards my dorm building. "Did you enjoy orientation?"

"Surprisingly, yes. It was interesting- and helpful- to learn where everything is and learn all about the campus.

"Anything you want to pass on?"

I smile at him. "There are no visiting hours, so come over whenever you like."

He smiles back. "I'll be over so often, you'll get sick of me."

"Never." I grin and tighten my hold on him.

We climb the stairs in my dorm building and walk to my suite. The door is still unlocked. Walking into my room, I can see that my parents were very busy. My room is finished. The desk is covered with pictures of me, Jake, and my family. A light green rug covers some of the floor. My bed is made up with a new mattress, spread, and new pillows, all looking very inviting. I assume the bathroom is stocked with my toiletries, as well as the closet and drawers filled with my clothes. To finish the picture, a flat screen television hangs on the wall, directly across from my bed.

I chuckle at that. "Emmett?"

"Emmett." My parents answer.

Just then, I hear the main door open, and a high pitched voice calls, "Hello?" Her voice has a slight southern accent to it.

"That'll be Felicity." Deciding that seeing the four of us so suddenly might be too overwhelming for a full human, I decide to go out alone.

"Hi! I'm Felicity. Are you Renesmee?" I'm greeted by a bubbly girl who is a few inches shorter than me. The first thing I notice is her hair, because it's almost the same color as Uncle Jasper's, hers just has a slight reddish tint to it. The second thing I notice are her eyes. At first, they appear to be light blue. Upon further inspection, a stormy grey. With a last look, green like the forest.

"Your eyes!" I gasp. Horrified, I clamp my hand over my mouth, realizing that I've just been very rude. "Oh, I'm so sorry. That was really rude. I only meant that-"

"Don't even worry about it!" She brushes it off easily. "That seems to be the first thing everyone notices about me. I honestly can't decide what color they are. They change pretty often."

I smile, glad she doesn't hate me already. "I already moved into the room on the right. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not! First come, first served." She grins. "Is your family here, or are you here alone?"

"My parents and my boyfriend are helping set up my room."

"That's nice! Mine are trying to park." She laughs easily, and it's a pleasant sound, if a little high-pitched.

"I assume that's where all of your stuff is?" I gesture to her arms, which hold only two boxes. "Yeah." She giggles sheepishly. "I should've probably waited for them, but I was too excited."

"Here, I'll show you your room." I offer, and run over to grab the door.

She enters the room and gasps. "The walls are beautiful! Purple is my favorite color."

I chuckle at her positivity. "Good thing I like blue, then."

"Good thing." She grins. "So where are you from?"

"Forks, Washington, so not too far away." Her eyes light up. "What about you?"

"Carrollton, Georgia, but I actually have family in Forks. Do you know Gertrude Sommers?"

I gasp in recognition. "Miss Gertie!"

"Yeah!" She giggles, enthused at my recognition.

"She owns a house and some land not too far from where I grew up, actually. Only about fifteen miles or so."

"Oh wow! I get there almost every summer for a visit, so I'm surprised we never saw each other. How funny!"

Seeing that I was never allowed out much due to my escalated growth, I'm not surprised. But of course I wouldn't tell her that.

Apparently deciding that they've hidden long enough, my parents knock at the door. "Renesmee, can we come in?" My mom makes her voice soft. I glance to Felicity, seeing as this is her room.

"Of course!" She skips over to open the door, and gives a soft gasp when she sees my parents. I chuckle. "You're her parents?"

My dad laughs. "We were both young when Nessie came along."

Felicity nods politely, but still seems a little shocked. "Are you two from Forks as well?"

"Yep." Mom answers smoothly. Before she can say more, we're interrupted by a guy bursting through the front door.

"Hey babe!" He waves, and Felicity leads us out of her room to greet him. "My room's set, and your parents are coming up with the boxes." He chuckles. "I passed them outside."

"Oh," Felicity frowns slightly. "We should go help them."

"They're fine." He answers, grabbing her hips to stop her from leaving the room. "First, introduce me to your new friends."

"Oh, of course, how rude of me!" She smacks herself lightly on the forehead. "Ryan, this is Renesmee Cullen, my new roommate. These are her parents, who I forgot to ask their names." She chuckles good-naturedly and waits for my parents to supply their names.

"Edward."

"Bella."

"These are her parents, Edward and Bella." Felicity finishes with a smile. "This is my boyfriend, Ryan."

"Yep, been with this little lady for two years now." He smacks her butt, causing both Felicity and I to frown. She shoos his hand away, looking slightly embarrassed.

I am filled with immediate dislike for the tall blonde man in front of me.

"Come on Ryan, we need to go help my parents." She tugs on his hand, and he groans.

Before he can complain, I jump in. "Want some help? We're already done setting up."

"Oh how nice of you!" Felicity gushes. "I don't want to put you guys out."

"Not at all." My dad answers. "I'll go get Jacob."

Upon hearing his name, Jacob walks out of my room. Filled with sudden gratitude for how nicely he treats me, I smile and reach for his hand, showing him what I mean. He smiles back and squeezes my hand.

"Hi, I'm Jacob, but lots of people call me Jake." He shakes hands with Felicity, and tries to do the same with her boyfriend, but Ryan is very curt about it.

"Hi, I'm Felicity." She gives Jake one of her easy smiles. "Are you enrolled here too?"

He shakes his head, and there's a slight tone of sadness in his voice when he answers. "No, I'm more of the handy type than the academic type. I fix your car, but ask me anything about chemistry and I'm screwed."

I'm about to protest, but Felicity beats me to it. "Not at all! I think it's great that you can fix cars! Lord knows we need more people to help with that. I hope you're well-appreciated."

Jacob smiles, and I'm filled with gratitude for Felicity and her uplifting compliments. "Actually, I run a shop now. We do pretty well."

"That's great! If my car ever breaks, I know who to call." We all chuckle, except for Ryan, who tugs Felicity's hand impatiently.

"Did you want to help your parents or flirt with another girl's boyfriend right in front of me?"

We're all momentarily frozen in shock.

Felicity looks at him, her eyes filled with confusion, hurt, embarrassment, and a little irritation. "Ryan, I wasn't-"

"Whatever. Forget it." He cuts her off and pulls her out of the room.

Thinking it would be best to let them talk alone, I close the door and leave them to get her things.

"Wow." Is all my mom says.

I nod. "She's been with that for two years."

"And he's dating your roommate, so guess who will probably see him all the time?" Jake says with mock enthusiasm.

I groan.

A/n. There was the first chapter! Hope you liked it :) Feel free to review! Xx


	2. Chapter 2

Nessie's POV

"I'm going to miss you so much." My parents hug me tightly, trying to make these last seconds count.

"I'll miss you, too." I reply, doing my best to hold back tears. "But I'll be back on the weekend. That's only five days away. I'll see you both really soon."

My mom buries her face in my hair, something she's been doing for as long as I can remember. "We love you. Call us if you need anything. We can be here in a flash." My dad nods to emphasize her point.

"Okay. Thank you. I love you guys so much." We give one last, big hug and my parents leave the room, giving me some "alone" time with Jake. Felicity and her boyfriend are in her room, putting up some finishing touches.

"Jake." As soon as my parents are gone, I burst into tears, wrapping my arms around his neck. He grips me tightly and lifts me up so I'm at his height, and I hug him tighter.

"I know. Me too." He strokes my hair soothingly.

"It's going to be so weird without you here all the time." I manage through the tears. "I mean, we've hardly been apart since I was born."

"It's gonna be hell." He agrees with a humorless chuckle. "But we can do this. I'll visit you, you'll visit me, we'll talk every night. It'll be okay. And of course, if you need absolutely anything, even if it's just a hug, I'll be here in an hour."

I smile gratefully and pull back so I can see his face. "Don't drive so fast that you hurt yourself."

He shrugs easily. "I heal super fast, Ness."

I laugh and tighten my hold on his neck, unwilling to let go yet.

"Have fun with your roommate. I think you guys will be good friends."

I nod enthusiastically. "I really like her. I just hope her dumb boyfriend isn't around all the time."

Jake grimaces. "He's kind of an ass, why's she with him?"

"Who even knows."

Jake's face turns serious. "Well, let me know if he's ever an ass to you. I'll put him in his place."

I chuckle and thank him, though I know he truly means it. We both know it's time for him to go, but neither of us wants to say it. So instead, I kiss him. He responds fervently, knowing that this will be the last time we're able to hold each other for a while.

Pulling back, I rest my forehead on his. "I love you."

He hugs me tightly and then sets me back on the ground. "I love you." He glances at me one last time, looking utterly distraught, before leaving my room quickly. As soon as he's gone, the tears begin to fall again. I sit on my bed and hug a pillow to my chest as the tears come more quickly. There's a tentative knock on my door.

"Renesmee? Can I come in?" Felicity's voice is soft, and she waits patiently for a reply. I try to stop the tears, but I can't, so I just make a noise of assent.

She comes into my room, her expression filled with sympathy for me. "I'm so sorry Renesmee. I can see you two really love each other, and I know it must hurt for him to leave." I nod, glad that she understands rather than thinking that my reaction is stupid.

"It's just-" I choke. "We've never been away from each other before. Ever." My breathing becomes even more unsteady, and she sits next to me on the bed, hesitantly wrapping me in a hug. I don't know her all that well, but I don't mind the contact. We're friends already. When she sees that I don't react badly, she hugs me tighter.

"It will be okay, Renesmee, I promise. It hurts now, but in five days, you'll see him again. Just think of the next time you'll see him, and use that to get you through the day." I nod, and the tears begin to slow.

"I'm sorry." My voice continues to break, even though the tears are coming to a close. "I'm sorry, I know this is silly. I just love him so much."

"It's not silly." She assures me. "And he loves you too. A lot. I met the guy for what, five minutes? And I can already tell. You two will get through this. It'll be okay."

"Thank you." I hug her tightly.

"It's no trouble at all." I can tell that she means it.

"Where's Ryan?" I ask somewhat reluctantly.

Hearing my tone, she chuckles. "I sent him home. I love him and all, but I needed some space from him. We're not like you and Jacob." She sounds a little wistful.

"You're right." I respond. "You have a healthier relationship." She looks at me doubtfully, so I amend my statement. "In the way that you can be apart from each other and not be reduced to a blubbering mess." Felicity chuckles.

"Are your parents gone?" I ask.

"Yeah." She answers, and now there's a hint of sadness in her positive voice. "They have to catch a flight back to Georgia."

"Oh yeah, they live in Georgia. I'm sorry they're so far away." I try to imagine what that would feel like, having the people you love so many miles away, and I can't.

"Thanks." She smiles sadly. "I'll miss them, of course. I already do. But…" She hesitates, but then decides to continue. "But I'm excited to find out who I am when I'm not with them. My whole life, they've sheltered me, kind of told me what to do. I'm ready to be independent, to think for myself."

Now that, I understood perfectly.

"But thankfully, I still have Ryan with me. He's my little piece from home." She smiles fondly. "He may not be perfect, but he's good for me."

I disagree, but of course I won't say anything. "So you've been together two years?"

"Yep." She smiles proudly. "Since my junior year."

"That's nice." I smile.

"What about you and Jacob?"

I smile again, this time with more sincerity. "Well, we've known each other since I was a baby. But we've only technically been together for a eight months. Before that, he was my best friend in the whole world. He still is."

The wistfulness returns to her eyes. "That sounds really nice."

I smile at her, and there's a little bit of silence before the wistfulness leaves her. Suddenly, she gasps, making me jump. "I know! Let's have a girl's night! Instead of being sad about boyfriends leaving, let's put on a movie, make some popcorn, and get to know each other better! We don't have to do anything until noon tomorrow, so we can stay up!"

Even though I really just want to go to bed, I dont have the heart to say no and crush her enthusiasm. So I agree. She squeals happily and rushes out to make popcorn, telling me to pick a movie. I quickly pick a romantic comedy that looks cute, and she returns eight minutes later with two bowls of popcorn. It's now that I notice her outfit. She's adorned in a sweatshirt, sweatpants, fuzzy socks, and a hat. I chuckle. "Cold?"

She laughs. "I don't know what it is about me. I'm always cold."

"You can turn up the heat." I offer.

She grins sheepishly. "I already did."

I laugh and she climbs next to me in the bed, switching off the light as she goes. I press play on the movie, and it begins.

{***}

About an hour and fifteen minutes into the movie, my phone rings.

Jake.

"Could you-" I begin, but Felicity has already paused the movie and is getting up to give us some privacy. "You can stay."

She smiles and sits back down next to me. I answer, eager to hear Jake's voice.

"Hi. Are you home?"

"Hi." His voice is husky, and I can hear the sadness in it. "Yep. Well, not home, home. I'm at Embry's place. He, Quill and Seth kidnapped me because they figured I would be missing you."

"Jake, you have the sweetest friends."

I can hear the grin in his voice as he responds. "I know."

"Hi guys!" I make my voice loud enough so the boys can hear me through the phone. I'm greeted by a chorus of "hey Nessie"'s.

"So what are you up to tonight?"

"Well," I smile. "Felicity kind of had the same idea, so we're having a girl's night. We're watching a movie now."

"Good!" He lowers his voice so there's no chance of Felicity hearing him. "Do you like her? Is she nice? Not a crazy murderer?"

I laugh loudly, and Felicity looks at me with curiosity. "Yes, yes, and not that I know of."

Jake laughs with me. "Just checking."

Felicity leans towards the phone. "Hi Jacob! Hi Jacob's friends!"

Jake and I chuckle as both he and his friends respond enthusiastically.

"Okay, well, I'll let you get back to your girl's night." Jake's voice is reluctant, but a little relieved. Probably happy that I'm not a mess of tears...that he knows of. "I love you."

"I love you. Have fun tonight."

"I will."

I hang up, and Felicity turns to me. "You okay?"

I check. Yes, I'm sad, and it hurts, but hearing his voice helped. "Yes, actually."

She grins. "Then let's see if the only attractive and single people on the screen will get together!"

I laugh, and she presses play.

Jacob's POV

Renesmee hangs up, and I put my phone away.

"How you doing?" Seth asks cautiously. Knowing I can't hide how I feel from my friends, brothers, I let myself fall back onto the couch with a groan.

"It hurts."

Quill claps my shoulder sympathetically. "I know, Jake. Trust me, I do. But you're going to see her in less than five days. You two will be okay. But I really do understand that it hurts."

I smile at him, grateful for both his understanding and his encouragement. As the only other one in the room with an imprint, he knows how I'm feeling right now. Granted, he and Claire have never actually been apart for more than three days, so he can't quite understand my level of hurting. Seth and Embry can sympathize, but not empathize. Still, I need to get some of this tension out. "Let's go for a run." The boys happily oblige, and soon we're running through the forest as wolves. As alpha, I take point. On the run, I let myself think of my goodbye with Nessie.

Jake, please. Embry begs. I know you love her, but you're confusing me. Now I think that I want to kiss her.

I shove him playfully, and he skirts away.

In all seriousness though, He continues, it's not good to think about things that make you sad.

Yeah! Seth chimes in. What made you happy today?

I grumble, suddenly feeling like I'm on an episode of Dr. Phil.

Come on. Quill nudges.

Ugh, fine. Well, Edward didn't complain about my thoughts today, which was nice. Normally he would've punched me for what I was thinking. We all chuckle, knowing how stupidly protective Nessie's father is. The campus doesn't have visiting hours, so I can show up anytime I want. That's a plus. But then I remember that Felicity's jackass boyfriend can do the same, and I'm filled with annoyance. The guys catch my mood and try to steer me in a new direction.

But you said she has a nice roommate, right? Embry prompts.

Yeah, I'm glad Nessie has Felicity. They're already good friends. An image of Nessie and Felicity together flashes through my mind, and then the strangest thing happens.

Seth runs into a tree. The tree wobbles, and we watch it warily, wondering if it will fall. When it doesn't, the boys and I look at Seth incredulously...until we howl with laughter.

Seth! Quill gasps. What the hell? No one ever hits a tree!

Even I'm on the ground, cracking up. Seth groans and rubs his head on the ground.

What the hell happened?! Embry chortles.

I'm not sure...Seth admits, sounding a little freaked. I just got really distracted.

The freaked out tone in his voice causes my ears to perk up involuntarily, searching for danger.

Of course, I think, the only danger here is Seth. Running into trees. The guys and I, minus Seth, are back on the ground laughing.

Seth laughs good naturedly with us, putting up with the jokes made at his expense without so much as a groan. Kid is a good sport.

Alright, I finally step in, deciding the poor kid has had enough. Let's keep running.

Sure. Embry agrees. Seth, he "speaks" in a slow voice, the way an adult would talk to a small child. Be sure to use your eyes and your other senses to stay away from the big tall things.

Unable to help it, we laugh as we take off in a run.


	3. Chapter 3

A/n I keep forgetting to add a disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight characters, nor am I making any mine from this story. It's just for fun. This disclaimer is upholding for this whole story :)

Jake's POV

The next few days pass by in slow agony. Each day without her hurts more and more, despite our nightly conversations. I can see that my down mood is taking its toll on my pack; since they're in my head every day, they can't escape my pain any more than I can. My mood has had the worst effect on Seth, who has been in disarray since the day Nessie left.

He sighs unhappily from across the car we're working on, and I look at him in confusion and concern.

"What's wrong?"

He's hesitant to answer, but he does. "I dunno. I just feel...weird. Really weird."

I take a break from attaching the door, and look at him. "Like sick?"

He makes a face. "Not quite sick...I just...I feel like we need to go check on Nessie."

My body tightens. "Why? What's wrong?" My hands inch towards the keys in my pockets, and Seth flinches a bit at my hard voice.

"Not like anything's wrong...I dunno...I just feel like we need to go see her."

"Then let's go." Alarmed by Seth's behavior, I grab my shirt from across the room and throw it on at the same time that I take out my keys.

"But I don't think we should." Seth hesitates.

"What?" I stop in confusion, and I admit, frustration. "Seth, if you think something's wrong, we need to go. I can't take any chances with Nessie."

"Right, I know." He shifts uncomfortably. "I don't feel like anything's wrong, I just feel...kind of drawn to her." He cringes, looking like he thinks I might hit him. I immediately feel bad.

"Awh, Seth, I'm sorry." I apologize and walk over to him. "I've been thinking about her so often, and you're always in my head, so of course my feelings are rubbing off on you. Sorry, I know this situation isn't easy for you guys, but you're all being really good sports. What you're feeling is just an extension of how I'm feeling. I promise, when I see Nessie, you'll feel better."

He nods, seeming reassured. "Thanks Jake. Sorry this is so hard for you."

I shrug. "I am gonna go call her though. Just to make sure."

Seth nods again, and goes back to his work. Walking outside, I pull out my phone and dial the familiar number.

She answers quickly. "Jake? Hi!"

"Hey Ness! Sorry I'm calling in the middle of the day."

"It's fine, I'm at lunch." Her voice is happy. "What's up?"

I hesitate to tell her of Seth's anxiety. Knowing that it's nothing, I don't want to worry her. "I was just missing you."

"Awh, I miss you too! But I'll be home tomorrow." I can hear the grin in her voice, and a smile of my own spreads across my face. "Actually, I was thinking of driving back tonight so I could have a little extra time with you guys. What do you think?"

"That would be great!" I enthuse. "We can do dinner at Charlie's?" I glance at Seth, waiting for him to approve since his mom lives there now. He nods. "Yeah, Charlie's is clear. What time do you think you can be home?"

"Dinner sounds fun! I can leave here at four, so I'll be there around six thirty. I'm really excited to see you."

"So excited." I grin. "Okay, I'll see you at six thirty. Love you!"

"I love you. Wait!" She stops me before I can hang up. "Can I bring Felicity? Her family lives in Georgia, and she's really missing them."

"Sure." I agree easily.

"Great."

We hang up, and I call Charlie to tell him and Sue the plan.

"Excited?" Seth grins as he picks up the change in my mood.

"You have no idea." I grin back and we return to our work.

Renesmee's POV

"Hey Liss," I peek my head into her room and find her studying. Not a surprise. "I'm leaving here around four to go to Forks and see my family. Do you want to come? You can stay at my house."

She smiles. "That sounds really nice! But I probably shouldn't, I have a lot to study for, and I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Oh please." I plop on her bed. "You can bring your studying, and you wouldn't intrude! Plus, you can visit your Grandma."

I can see the appeal of the idea in her eyes, and she accepts without much more of a fight. "But, I will not arrive empty-handed." She skips off to the kitchen to make a dish to bring.

While she's cooking, I pull out my phone to call my mom.

"Hi baby!" She answers on the first ring.

"Hi Mom." I chuckle. "I decided to drive down tonight so I can have dinner with Charlie and Sue."

"Great! You'll still come home tonight though, right?"

"Sure! But can I bring my roommate? She misses her family, and I think she needs to get out of the dorm."

There's a minuscule pause as she asks Grandma Esme, before she agrees. "She can stay in Alice's room."

"Thanks Aunt Alice."

"You're welcome." Her high pitched voice floats through the phone.

"Okay, I'll see you guys tonight. Love you!"

"Love you!"

{***}

Three hours later, Felicity and I are packed and on the road. She made a fruity dessert, a triffle, she called it, which I think will be a big hit with everyone.

"How's Ryan?" I ask when there's a lull in the conversation.

She smiles at my attempt. "Thank you. I know he's not your favorite person."

I'm not a fan of lying, so I didn't make a move to disagree with her.

"He's okay." She continues. "But...can I confess something to you?"

"Of course."

"He's been getting on my nerves lately." She speaks in a rush, and I can tell this has been weighing on her. "We spend so much time together, and all he wants to do is make out. It's like he thinks that now since we're away from our parents, I'm just going to...you know…" She blushes.

"Oh." I'm a little shocked. "Well, Felicity, don't do anything you're not ready for. Don't let him pressure you into anything."

"I know, I know that." Her blush flares again. "I just...wonder if it would be easier...to get him off my back…"

"Liss, no!" I'm protesting before she's finished her sentence. "I'm glad I've got you away with me this weekend. You need some distance from Ryan. He's not allowing you to think straight."

Clarity lights up her eyes. "You're right. Some space will be good for me. I need to think for myself."

"Yeah!" I back her up. "Enjoy some time away, make some new friends. Jake knows a lot of really nice people, and you'll love my family. Though…" I hesitate. "I should let you know a little about my family first."

"Okay." She sits up straighter, prepared for new information. I suppress a chuckle when I realize she's wishing she had a pen and paper to take notes on.

"It's nothing bad, I promise. It's just that my family is a bit...different."

"Different how?"

"Well, for example, they all look really young. Like I'm talking all under 30."

"Okay. Why is that?"

She can't repress her natural curiosity. I try to answer her as honestly as I can.

"My grandparents, my dad's parents, adopted all of their children when my grandparents were young and the kids were older."

"Okay, that makes sense. What else?"

"They're all...together."

"Together?"

"Yeah, like married."

"Oh! Okay. But none of the siblings are married, right?" She chuckles, and I assure her that we live incest free lives.

"And I know my uncles look intimidating, but I promise they're great."

"Oh I'm sure they are."

I smile as I get the feeling that Felicity will get along really well with my family.

"So what about your mom's dad and his wife?"

"Oh yeah. Charlie and Sue are really nice, but Charlie is really quiet, so don't be offended if he seems a bit scared by your personality, or tries to avoid you." We both laugh. "Sue is great, and she has two children, Leah and Seth. Leah has her own house and family on the La Push reservation, but Seth has a room at the house. He doesn't stay there anymore, he just has a room he sometimes uses."

"Okay. Will they be there tonight?"

"I'm sure Seth will, but Leah is a maybe. She might be there...she and Jake are good friends." We pass the sign telling us that we've entered the town. I grin. "We're almost there!"

Seth's POV

I could tell the girls were close when Jake perked up. Due to his imprinting, he felt better just being in the same town as her.

"They're close." I announce to the room, and Mom hurries to finish setting the table.

"Do you want help?" Leah and I both offer, but Leah is occupied by her youngest, Lily.

"No thank you. But do you mind pulling my car around back for me? I want to make sure the girls have enough room to park."

"Sure." Mom tosses me her keys and I walk outside.

When I've got the car in the back, I hear the girls arrive.

"Jacob!" Nessie's delighted squeal reaches me in the backyard, and I hear him rush to hug her.

Feeling strangely drawn to them again, I quickly park and walk in through the front door. It's then that I see her, and my whole world changes. Suddenly, nothing else matters. Nothing in the world. Except for her. The world could be ending right now, and I wouldn't care as long as she was with me. Heck, I probably wouldn't even notice.

"Everyone, this is Felicity Ferryn. Felicity, this is Charlie, Sue…." Nessie's voice fades out as I stare at Felicity, as I stare at my world. Felicity turns to face me and offers me a bright smile. It fades a little into confusion when she sees my stare.

"Uh…" I swallow in shock, and Felicity's head tilts slightly.

"Is he okay?" She chuckles lightly, and her beautiful laugh snaps me into speaking.

"I'm Seth. Hi." I hold my hand out to shake, and I realize how jumpy I am. Her hand is warm in mine, and I never want to let it go. But seeing as she doesn't know me, and I really don't want to scare her off, I do. "Uh, can I take that for you?" I gesture to the dish in her hand, not quite sure what it is.

"Oh, thank you." She smiles brightly and hands it to me. I stumble into the kitchen, Jacob right behind me.

"Woah, Seth. Did you-"

"I think so! I'm staring at her, and...she's all I see, and I never want to look away."

Jake leans against the counter. "Yeah, that's it." A soft smile slides on his face. "Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Hopefully she'll dump her jackass boyfriend for you."

My heart sinks, but only slightly. How can I possibly feel sad when my whole world is in the other room? "Boyfriend?"

Jake pats my shoulder. "Sorry buddy. But trust me. Any time with her…" He smiles, thinking of Nessie. "It's more than enough."

I smile at him and take a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this."


	4. Chapter 4

A/n Thank you to those who have followed and favorited! Enjoy :)

Felicity's POV

Leah and her husband send their kids off to play and the remaining eight of us gather in Charlie and Sue's living room, taking up every available space. Poor Seth has to sit on the floor.

"This is your house. Do you want to sit here?" I offer, but he quickly shakes his head.

"No way. Mom would hang me if I were ever to act so rude."

I giggle, and his face lights up. The sight causes my breath to catch in my throat. Surely he can't be happy because of me. He's probably thinking of something from earlier, something that made him smile.

"So Felicity," Charlie speaks in his kind, gravelly voice. "Nessie says you're from Georgia?"

The mention of my home causes a brief flicker of sadness to appear in my heart, but I quickly push it away. Instead, I focus on the positives. "Yes," There's a slightly wistful sigh in my voice. A millisecond later, Seth's head tilts, as though he's confused or worried. This causes my eyebrows to furrow in my own confusion. The silence expands, and I realize the room is waiting for me to elaborate. I'm quick to oblige. "I grew up in Carrollton, which is about an hour away from Atlanta, but most of my childhood was spent in the country at my cousin's ranch. I go there every summer." The fond memories rush back, and I close my eyes, allowing myself to soak them in.

Sue unknowingly interrupts my thoughts. "That sounds nice. Will you go back this summer?"

"Yep! I'll be spending the entire summer there, actually."

A chorus of polite "ooo"'s and "aah"'s sweeps through the room, and I smile.

There's a short lull in conversation, which Seth is quick to fill. "What are you studying?"

I grin sheepishly, suddenly a little self-conscious about my answer. I bite my lip, quickly shaking the negative feelings away. "I'm majoring in zoology and my minor is French."

His eyes light up again. They're a beautiful deep brown. "You like animals?"

Unable to help myself, I smile and sit up straighter. "I love them. I had so many pets growing up, and I can't imagine myself not being around animals."

"Do you have any pets now?"

A small pout clouds my face. "No. The dorms don't allow animals."

He frowns, and seems to really mean it when he says "That's too bad. What can I do to help?"

I blink, a bit shocked by the intensity in his eyes. I decide to play it smoothly though. "Convince the school's president to change her mind?"

He nods, completely serious. "Done. I'll call first thing in the morning. Or you know, maybe it's better if I go up there and-"

Jake's sudden and seemingly forced laugh interrupts Seth. Nessie and Leah quickly follow Jacob's lead. Seth's eyebrows draw together before understanding crosses his face. He smirks lightly, and for some unknown and cursed reason, my heart gives a little jump. His smirk falters and he freezes, as though he heard my heart's confusing betrayal. Jake clears his throat, and Seth jolts back to life.

"Joking, obviously." He smiles again and I politely giggle, still a little stunned by his behavior. And by mine.

I glance around and see that the room has been watching our exchange with varying reactions. Renesmee is trying her hardest to look casual, Jake is staring at us with a strange mixture of happiness and trepidation on his face. For some reason, he's cautions. Leah and her husband, Joshua, have knowing and happy looks on their faces. Charlie just looks confused. But Sue's reaction is by far the most alarming. Her mouth has formed a shocked "oh", and she's slowly blinking back tears. Startled, I glance towards Renesmee, looking for an answer. She smiles convincingly and mouths 'She's fine.' I nod, though I'm not completely appeased.

I scramble to alleviate the sudden awkwardness. "Seth, what do you do?"

He rubs the back of his neck self-consciously. "Well, I officially run a shop with Jake. We work on cars and bikes and stuff. But I'm also taking classes online. Right now I'm just getting the basics out of the way, but hopefully soon I'll choose a real major."

I smile, hoping to put him at ease. "I'm actually really glad that you and Jake run a shop. Sometimes my car has issues- it's good to know that I can bring it to friendly faces." Both Seth and Jake grin. "And as far as picking a major goes, take your time. You don't want to rush into something. Before you know it, you're in too deep and you're tied to something you despise for the rest of your life."

Before Seth can respond, Nessie coughs delicately. I turn automatically, and see that a mischievous look has entered her eye. "You know, what Felicity just said holds a lot of truth, and can be applied to many aspects of life. There are so many choices we're given, so many decisions we must make. Sometimes we need to take a step back, look at all of our options, and reevaluate." My eyes narrow. The fact that she is talking about my relationship with Ryan is not lost on me.

"Then again," I counter, "sometimes it's more about what you're used to, and what you feel comfortable with."

"Yeah, but are you comfortable with it?"

The people in the room seem to realize that we're not really talking about majors, because Jacob interrupts. "Wow, aren't they smart? This is what college must do."

Everyone chuckles, though Nessie and I's are a little forced. I smile at her though, letting her know that I'm not mad. She returns my gesture. After that, we all break off into smaller conversational groups. Nessie and Jacob disappear into the kitchen under the pretense of helping set up the kitchen for dinner, but I don't totally believe them. Seth doesn't either; he rolls his eyes in their direction and comes to sit in front of my chair.

"I swear, those two…" He tries to sound annoyed, but his smile gets in the way. I get the feeling that it would take a lot to truly upset Seth.

"Awh, give them a break. They haven't seen each other in a whole week!" I joke.

He smirks again, and my heart once again reacts in that funny, confusing way. "True." He answers, his smirk turning into an easy grin. "You said you're also studying French?"

I nod enthusiastically. "I love it. Nessie and Ryan? Not so much." I chuckle, easily remembering their annoyed faces and comments when I speak to them in a foreign language. It frustrates them.

Seth's eyebrows furrow. "Who's Ryan?"

I blush slightly, hesitant for some reason to tell him. "He's my boyfriend. Been together two years."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Wow, that's a long time. High school sweethearts then?"

I nod, less enthusiastically this time. "What about you?"

"Me?" He's confused.

"Got a girlfriend?" I furrow my eyebrows, realizing that I don't know his age. "Wife? Wait, how old are you?" I bite my lip, realizing that I could have come off as rude, though that was never my intention. Thankfully though, he chuckles.

"No girlfriend, no wife. Not even a fiancée." I chuckle with him, very much at ease. "And I'm twenty-one. Birthday wasn't too long ago."

I look him over, not too terribly shocked by his answer. He's very tall, with broad shoulders and nicely muscled. Though physically he could pass as old as twenty-six, the youthful glint in his eyes and slightly gangly build suggest he's a bit younger. After my assessment, I nod in acceptance.

"And you are?" He hedges.

I decide to play with him, letting my eyebrows shoot up in mock-outrage. "Shocked! Shocked that you would ask a lady such a rude question!"

His eyes grow wide, and he stammers broken apologies. "N-n-n-no, nononono. I'm-I'm so, I didn't mean-"

His terrified expression gets me, and I burst into a fit of giggles. His face scrunches up and he rolls his eyes when he sees that I'm joking, but I can see real relief in his eyes. Before long, he's smiling and laughing right along with me.

I throw my hands up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. That was mean. But your face!" A few more giggles escape me. "I'm eighteen, but my birthday is in five months. January sixteenth, don't forget it." I lean towards him slightly to emphasize my point.

"Never. In fact-" he pulls his phone out, and there are a few clicks. After about a minute, he holds his phone up proudly. "I'll get an alert!"

Pleased, I smile, clapping my hands lightly. "Now there's absolutely no excuse!"

He grins. "None."

Satisfied, I lean back into my chair.

"Hey, do you want a tour?" He's excited again. Unable to resist his enthusiasm, I respond with my own, nodding in earnest. He quickly stands up and offers me his hand. I take it, and am shocked by the warmth of his skin. He's burning up! But it's very pleasant on my cold skin.

"Oh my gosh, you're hot!" I gasp in a weird mixture of surprise, happiness, and concern.

I'm met with amused chuckles from his family and a smug look from Seth.

"Nice of you to finally notice." He jokes, causing a blush to flare.

"Woah, no I didn't mean it like-I mean-I'm not saying you're not-" His eyebrows shoot up at this, so I quickly continue. "I mean-your skin is-"

By now his family is in hysterics and Seth is standing in front of me, an expectant look on his face. "Go on, don't be shy. You were saying how hot I am?" His tone is playful, but I decide to stop before I can embarrass myself any further.

I take a deep breath, hoping to calm my blush. "You know what? I'm just gonna shut up now. Lead the way." I silently curse the awkwardness I inherited from my mom.

Everyone laughs again as Seth pulls me from the room, still holding my hand. Enjoying the warmth, I decide not to let it go just yet. The house is really cold- I'd been forcing back shivers all night.

"This is the hall…" he leads me through a long-ish hallway with doors on both sides. "This is the kitchen." He walks in and pulls me around the island. "This is Jacob and Nessie's 'Secret Make-Out Spot'." I laugh at my friends who are scrambling to look innocent. Nessie climbs off Jake's lap and frantically fixes her hair. Jake looks slightly more relaxed.

"Nah, don't worry, we're outta here." Seth declares. "I'm just giving Felicity the tour."

"Gee, we're so honored to be an attraction." Jacob scowls.

Seth grins impishly and pulls me back out the way we came in. I wave happily at my friends, and they both smirk. We continue with the tour, Seth pointing out the bathroom, a couple of closets, Charlie and Sue's room, and the laundry room as we go. "And here are the stairs." I giggle as he tugs me quickly upwards, stopping suddenly at stair number four. "Fun fact, I've fixed this stupid stair twelve times." He grimaces through his smile.

"Well if you fixed it right the first time, you wouldn't have to keep correcting your mistake." I tease.

He opens his mouth in what I can only describe as shocked delight and teases back. "Well I'd like to see you try, miss Know-It-All."

"Fine!" I challenge. "Next time it breaks, give me a call and provide me with a hammer and some nails and stuff. I'll fix it in no time. Permanently." I snap to emphasize my point.

His delighted smile expands, and I'm filled with sudden, unexplainable joy. Due to this easy joking, I feel happy, almost light. "I'll do just that! But don't worry. I won't make you struggle and humiliate yourself for too long before I step in and fix it."

"For the thirteenth time." I roll my eyes playfully, to which he just laughs.

"Come on." He tugs me again up the stairs, reminding me to watch Stupid Stair Number Four. Right off the stairs is a door, on which Seth knocks.

"Come in!" Two tiny voices chime.

Seth opens the door and we poke our heads in. I see Leah's two little girls, Lily and Sarah, playing with various puzzles and dolls.

"How's it goin'?"

"Good." They respond.

"Unca Seth, Unca Seth!" Lily, no more than two, runs up to him and reaches for his free hand. "Look what I make!" She impatiently tugs us to a table, once white, but now nearly completely covered in various marker drawings. I stifle a laugh, not wanting to hurt her feelings, and turn to Seth. A slightly panicky smile spreads across his face.

"That's beautiful Lily! But uh...we might not want to draw on the table anymore...Aunt Sue might be upset…" He rubs the back of his neck again, showing that he's at a loss for how to handle this. Lily stares up at him with wide, uncomprehending eyes.

I decide to put him out of his misery. "Here," I pull my hand from his, instantly missing his warmth. Shaking my head slightly to remove those unwanted thoughts, I bend down to collect some blank paper scattered across the floor. Both the girls and Seth watch me curiously as I grab the tape off the table and begin connecting the papers with tape. Seth quickly catches on and helps me, speeding up the process. After all the papers are connected, I tape the now one big sheet of paper to the table and step back to admire my work. "Now you can color all you want!"

"Yay!" Lily runs over to the table, happily beginning a new original creation.

"Lily, can you say 'thank you' to Felicity?" Seth proudly reminds her of her manners, and I again stifle a laugh.

"Thank you 'Licity!" Lily beams and dives back into her drawings.

"See you guys at dinner!" Seth turns and I follow him from the room, gushing as we go.

"Your nieces are so cute!"

"Oh yeah." He agrees easily. "I think you've already made a friend with Lily."

I grin happily. "Good. Because I think she's absolutely adorable. She made me miss all of my cousins."

"How many do you have?" He inquires.

"I'm the oldest of seventeen grandchildren."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Wow. That's a lot."

I chuckle. "Yeah. I really like it though. I love having a big family."

He purses his lips, thoughtful. "I can see what you mean. My friends and I, we're all really close. More like brothers than anything. So their parents are like extra sets of parents, and their siblings are like mine. With my friends...no, brothers...everyone takes care of everyone."

His eyes are far away, thinking of pleasant memories. I can't help but stare, though I feel like I'm intruding on his peace.

"That sounds really nice." I finally murmur.

"Yeah." He grins again. "You should meet them sometime. They'd like you a lot."

My face breaks into a grin of my own. "I would love to! It sounds like I would enjoy their company."

He chuckles, presumably at my formal approach, before beckoning me to follow him once again. He leads me to a door a little further down on the other side of the hall and throws it open.

"This is my room."

I follow him inside his room and have a look around. It's about the same size as my room back at the dorm, but it's less cluttered. A long wooden bed adorned with deep blue covers, a standard desk, and a TV are the main attractions. I chuckle at the length of the bed.

"Because you're so tall?"

"My head and feet used to dangle off before we found this." We laugh.

"Nessie said you don't spend all of your time here?" I inquire, walking around the room as I look at the posters and pictures on his wall.

"Nope. Since I'm technically an adult, it's kind of lame to be living with my mom and stepdad, so I spend most of my time on the Rez."

I furrow my eyebrows. "The Rez?"

"The La Push Reservation. It's where all of us Native Americans live." He clarifies with a short chuckle.

"Oh!" I'm intrigued. "Do you like it there?"

He nods emphatically. "Oh yeah. We've got a gorgeous beach-do you like beaches?"

Now it's my turn to nod.

"Then you'll love ours." He continues with a wide smile. "Most of the time it's too cold for most people to swim, but I can handle it. Plus, we've got these cliffs that we like to jump off of into the sea. It's so much fun." His eyes widen at the fun memories, and I can't help the excitement that courses through me.

"That sounds amazing! Can I come sometime?"

His smile grows. "Of course! I'll give you the Insider's Tour. Show ya everything that really matters on the Rez. And when we go, you can meet my friends!"

"Okay!" I enthuse, happy with our loose plans. A picture on the desk catches my eye. I pick it up. "Are these them? Your friends?"

He glances at the picture and nods, pointing out who's who. "Yep. This is Quil, Embry, Jake-you know, my sister, Sam, Jared, Paul, Collin, and Brady."

"Wow." I gape. "You're all really tall." Not to mention, muscular. My cheeks redden slightly at the errant thought, and I quickly move my hair to hide my blush.

"Yeah." He grins. "It's a Quileute thing."

My eyebrows furrow once again.

"My tribe." He clarifies.

I nod, and am about to continue with my questions when Nessie and Jake poke their heads through the open door.

"Dinner's ready." Jake says with a grin. Seth and I enthusiastically follow them out, ready to eat.

A/n I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think in a review! Also, if you like Percy Jackson, I have a few stories on my page that you might enjoy. QOTC (Question of the Chapter) Who is your favorite Twilight character? Review :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/n Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites!

Nessie's POV

The four of us rush to the dining room, easily excited by the array of food waiting for us. The table is too small to accommodate everyone, even with the extra chairs pulled up. Seth kindly and readily gives his seat to Felicity, who blushes and thanks him. Jake and I handle our seat situation in a slightly different fashion. We see the single chair left, and both know that it's on. We dash forward, lightly shoving each other out of the way as we go. I cheat slightly, calling upon a bit of my extra speed to win. I plop into the chair, feeling very satisfied, and grin cheekily at Jacob who playfully rolls his eyes before ruffling my hair. Everyone chuckles indulgently at us, making my heart swell with comfort and joy.

"I'll get you for that later." Jake's husky voice at my ear holds a promise. I shiver, but definitely not out of fear.

"I'll hold you to that." I challenge back, lightly pecking him on the lips before pushing him away to his place of banishment on the floor near Seth.

The boys take their less than stellar seats in stride, using their newfound leg space to stretch out, a luxury for the tall Quileute boys.

Throughout dinner, I keep a careful, hopefully inconspicuous watch on Felicity and Seth. He's obviously totally and completely committed to her. I can see in his eyes, the set of his shoulders, the tilt of his head, everything, how she draws him in, how he absolutely needs to be with her. It's much like the way Jake regards me. But I can see that Felicity is more reserved, more cautious. When Seth makes her laugh, she almost seems...hesitant to show the true happiness on her face, like she's out of practice. It clicks in my brain that this is because she is out of practice. Of course when it's just her and me, or us plus Jake, she is completely and totally herself. She laughs freely, tells jokes, shares her opinion. But as soon as Ryan enters the room, or the threat of his presence looms, she withdraws. She throws up a shade, keeping her real emotions locked securely inside of her while she presents a carefully constructed facade to her boyfriend. My realization makes me uncomfortable, and I slouch slightly in my seat. Jake notices.

"Everything okay?" He's pushed himself off the floor to kneel next to me, his head easily reaching mine. The rest of our friends and family are too occupied to notice us.

"I'm fine." I emphasize the 'I'. He notices that too, and raises an eyebrow. "I'll explain later."

He nods, reassured, and gives my hand a squeeze before sinking back to the floor.

Observing Seth and Felicity makes dinner fly by, and before I know it, we're all gathered in the living room, shrugging on our jackets and saying goodbye. Jake pulls me into the hallway, gathering me in a tight hug. I grip him just as eagerly.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" His breath is hot on my neck, a feeling I adore.

"Bright and early."

"So for you, that means noon?"

He chuckles as I hit him playfully on his arm.

"But yes. Noon is good." I amend, causing him to laugh heartily and pull me close once again. I take this as an opportunity to sneakily press my lips to his. He doesn't complain. Obviously. Instead, he grips my waist, fingers sliding just barely under my shirt, grazing my skin. A thrill runs down my spine. Too soon, he pulls back, and I fake pout.

"Tease." I grimace at him, though we both know I'm only joking.

"Angel." He shoots back affectionately. I smile, successfully appeased.

Taking his hand, I lead him back into the living room in time to see a slightly awkward goodbye conversation between Seth and Felicity.

"So uh, I'll see you again, hopefully." Seth rubs the back of his neck, obviously nervous and slightly anxious. His anxiety presumably comes from the looming separation of him from his imprint. I've seen the same look in Jake's eyes many times before.

"Yeah!" Felicity's voice is eager and chipper. It hurts my ears a little, to be honest. But this is a qualify of hers that I've been slowly getting used to. "I'm sure I'll be down again sometime soon. My nan lives close to Forks, just outside city limits."

Seth visibly brightens. "That's awesome! Now you don't have to make up a lame excuse just to see me."

Jake and I both work hard to hold in laughter at Seth's attempt at flirting. Felicity, however, blushes at his boldness and gives him a final, slightly lingering smile before ducking out the door. I hear her foot catch on something outside, and nearly lose it. I squeeze Jake's hand one more time before heading to the door.

"Good luck with that Seth." I lower my voice. "And, as much as it pains me to say this, because I truly cannot stand the guy, and I love you, but maybe hold off on the lame flirting. She has a boyfriend, and you don't want to scare her off. She's very…" I pause, searching for the right word. "Loyal." That about sums her up.

Seth nods seriously, taking my advice to heart before giving me a sincere hug. "Take care of her."

I roll my eyes. "Duh."

I walk outside and join Felicity by the car, unlocking the door for her. She practically jumps in, shaking from the chill.

"How are you cold?" I question incredulously. "It's fall, and it's barely chilly outside."

She shivers again, so I turn up the heat. "I told you," her body twitches with another round of shivers. "I'm pretty much always cold. It's a freaking curse." She frowns and places her hands in front of the vents.

Chuckling lightly, I back out of the driveway and begin the familiar route home.

"Are you sure your family won't mind me staying? I'm absolutely fine to stay with my nan." Uncertainty clouds her voice, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Of course they don't mind. Grandma's already prepared a guest bedroom for you, and everyone is dying to meet you. You're kind of an anomaly, you know."

Her eyebrows furrow in confusion.

"I've never really had a close friend before, someone other than Jake or my family. They're very...curious about you."

She beams. "Well, I'm honored to be your first close friend, excluding boyfriend and relatives." Though her words could be taken as sarcastic, I can hear that she truly means them.

I smile back, and we're quiet for a few minutes. It begins to rain.

"Can you text my parents and let them know we're about eight minutes away? They might bring us umbrellas."

She nods, reaching for my phone. It's password protected, but she breezes right through it, guessing on the first try that the numbers correspond with the letters to spell 'JAKE'. She jokingly rolls her eyes and does as I asked.

It's silent again. "So what did you think of everyone at dinner?" I mentally pat myself on the back for how casual I sound.

Felicity smiles easily. "They're all so nice and welcoming! I can see why you like spending time with them. And Leah's little girls are so adorable. I could eat them up!"

I smile back, but notice that a certain someone is obviously missing from her assessment.

"And Seth? What do you think about him?"

She blushes in the dark, but of course I see it.

"He's...nice. Very easy to get along with."

I'm highly unsatisfied with her answer, but I let that be it for now. I'll just continue this interrogation later when she's tired and more forthcoming.

Within a few minutes, I'm pulling in front of the main house. Felicity's eyes are wide, making me chuckle.

"A lot of people live here." I try to explain why the house is so big, but she just nods and composes herself.

As predicted, my parents are waiting to rush out to greet us, kindly bearing umbrellas. Aunt Rose is right behind them, ready to drive my car to the garage. Mom pushes typical human speed and rushes to throw open my door and envelop me in a tight hug. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my dad, ever the gentleman, opening the door for Felicity and offering his hand. I hug Mom tightly back before moving on to Aunt Rose. Dad leaves the umbrella with Felicity so he can grab our bags from the trunk in one hand, then taking the umbrella back in the other and holding it over her head. She smiles in gratitude.

"Thanks Aunt Rose." I kiss her on the cheek and pass her my car keys.

My parents rush us into the house, my mom still gripping my arm tightly. "Baby, I missed you so much! You have to tell us absolutely everything about your first week."

I'm about to agree, but I'm suddenly bombarded with greetings and hugs. I glance at Felicity, and see that she bears a slightly calmer fate. Aunt Alice is the only one who hugs her, but I can see that Grandma wants to. When Felicity sees Uncle Jasper, her eyes widen. She stares. I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Yes, everyone in the house is inhumanly attractive, but the outright staring is a little much. Dad chuckles silently at my thoughts and pulls me into his arms.

"I-I'm sorry." Felicity seems to become aware of her staring and blushes. "I don't mean to be rude. It's just, you are the spitting image of this great-great-however-many-great's uncle of mine." My family grows still, a sure sign of stress.

"What did he do?" I ask, hoping to calm everyone by showing that Uncle Jasper's identity is safe. It's probably not actually Uncle Jasper she's thinking of.

"He was some big to-do in the Civil War, I think. A really young major, or maybe a general...I don't know for sure, I've only seen pictures and heard some stories. But I do know that he went MIA, presumed dead." She shrugged, like she hadn't just shaken my entire family's carefully constructed facade. "Who knows if it's even true."

They have nearly the same hair color, I think, waiting for a response from my dad. He nods ever so slightly, still stressed. Uncle Jasper collects himself and sends calm vibes fluttering through the room. Everyone visibly relaxes.

"What a cute story!" Aunt Alice gushes, then quickly changes topics. "So, how do you like college?"

Felicity is quickly and effectively occupied with my family's getting-to-know-you interrogation. I sit on a loveseat, smushed between my parents, Aunt Rose on the floor by my feat. My heart warms, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by people I love, people who love me. Felicity shivers, and Grandpa rushes to turn up the heat while Grandma flits away. I smell hot chocolate beginning in the kitchen, and grin in anticipation. Grandma Esme's hot chocolate is the best. Grandpa is in the middle of questioning Felicity about zoology and her career path-of course he's interested in anything slightly medical, and I can't help but smile fondly- when Grandma returns with two steaming cups topped with a heap of whipped cream. Felicity and I both smile in appreciation and thank her. Felicity seems to warm up after a few minutes.

Eventually, the conversation expands to include questions thrown at me, which I answer readily. Yes, I love college. Obviously, I adore my roommate. Of course, I miss you all. No, Emmett, I haven't gotten drunk yet. My parents hiss under their breaths at that one, making me laugh. Around midnight, Felicity tries to stifle a yawn and fails.

"Oh how silly of us!" Grandma rushes to apologize. "Of course you're tired. Nessie, you too. Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Felicity smiles gratefully and stands up, me following suit. I hug everyone 'goodnight' since it's really only Felicity and I who will be sleeping, and Grandma leads us up to where a guest bedroom is. Grandma went all out for Felicity. The two beds, and practically everything else in the room, are brand new, though I'm not sure Felicity's less-sensitive eyes can tell. The room even smells light and calming, like lavender.

Felicity gushes her thanks and gives Grandma Esme a hug that is readily returned. She bids us goodnight and walks gracefully away. I close the door and hop onto the bed with my bag on it as Felicity does the same.

"Ness, I love your family."

I chuckle. "Me too."

"They're so kind and welcoming. And your Uncle Jasper seriously does look like my however-many-great's-" She's stopped short by her phone's ringtone.

She frowns, and then recognition covers her face as she digs in her bag for her cellphone. "Whoops, I guess I put it in my bag and forgot. Here it is!" She pulls out her iPhone proudly, then grimaces when she looks at the screen. "Oh no."

"What?"

"Sixteen missed calls and twenty-seven text messages, all from Ryan."

I join her in a groan.

"Hang on." She dials his number, and it rings a few times before he picks up. I hear his angry, gruff voice on the other side of the phone.

"Why the hell haven't you answered me?"

Felicity rolls her eyes, but I wince. I've never heard a guy be as mean to the girl he supposedly loves as Ryan is to Felicity. Jake has never raised his voice or even sounded remotely angry towards me. And no one in my family has ever been rude or gruff to their other half. Love isn't supposed to be mean. Hearing it though, seeing it with my own eyes, unsettles me.

"Sorry Rye, I've been out with Nessie all day and left my phone in my bag. Didn't mean to make you worry." Her voice is calm, though I can see slight annoyance in her eyes. Good.

"Yeah, well don't forget again. And I wasn't worried, I was annoyed." His voice is harsh, causing me to wince again. "Where are you anyway?"

Felicity sighs. "Forks. I told you I would be spending the weekend with Nessie and her family."

"I wasn't listening. What's in Forks anyway? And hey, if your roommate was going to be gone for the whole weekend, you should've stayed! We could have had the whole room to ourselves." His less-than-innocent thoughts are clear in his voice. "You're so stupid." My anger flares.

"I'm not-" Felicity starts, and then sighs, for some unknown reason deciding not to defend herself. "Hey, I'm really tired. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"You better."

Felicity hangs up, wearing a frown. She stares into space for a few minutes before blinking. I realize that she's trying not to cry.

"Awh, Liss." I jump from my bed and sit next to her, hugging her close. She rests her head on my shoulder and shuts her eyes tightly. A few tears escape.

"I'm sorry, I'm not normally like this. I'm just tired, is all."

"Liss...no you're not...you're upset. And Ryan made you that way." I don't want to upset her even more, but she has to understand that this relationship she's in is so unhealthy!

She doesn't say anything, just continues to rest her head on me and fight back tears. Eventually, her breaths become even. She's fallen asleep. Gently, I push her off my shoulder, take off her shoes, and tuck her into bed, still in her clothes.

As I begin readying myself for bed, I hear a tentative knock on my door. I open it to see Aunt Rose in the hallway, smiling sadly. I push back to join her outside my room, not wanting to wake up Felicity.

"Hey."

"Hey sweetie. Um...we all heard Felicity on the phone...is everything alright?"

I roll my eyes. "Her boyfriend is a jerk and she's too sweet to do anything about it."

Her frown deepens. "I gathered that. Just...if you can...try to convince her that this isn't healthy? I uh...know a thing or two about bad guy decisions, and a boy who is mean, controlling, and degrading like that...well, it can get dangerous. And of course, we don't want anything to happen to her, but we also don't want you around something like that…"

"Don't worry." I hurry to reassure her, not wanting her to suggest me switching roommates like I think she wants to. "Ryan's never been violent towards her." As far as I know. "Just rude." Aunt Rose doesn't look satisfied. "And anyways, I'm not entirely sure he'll be a problem much longer."

"Why?" She's dubious.

I lower my voice so it will only be audible to vampire hearing. "Seth imprinted on her tonight. And I know better than anyone that no one can resist the level of adoration and commitment that comes with imprinting."

I catch her slight grimace at my mention of imprinting, and by extension, the wolves, but she seems slightly more appeased.

"Well that's…" She struggles to work out her mixed feelings. "Better than Ryan. Hopefully this will play out fast."

I nod, and smile and hug her. "Thanks for the concern Aunt Rose."

She hugs be back. "Anytime."

A/N hope you liked it! Please follow, favorite, share, and review! QOTC What is your favorite book or book series? I need new reading material haha. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Nessie's POV**

Felicity wakes up around eight and tries to drag me out of bed. I resist the urge to swat her.

"I'm not productive until noon!" I insist.

"I'm not asking you to be productive, I'm asking you to get dressed." Her tone is even, and with a well supported pull, she's tugged me into a sitting position. "There." Her voice is smug, and I look up and see that she's already dressed.

"Why?"

She grins. "I'm planning to go see Grandma for an hour or two. Want to come?"

I shake my head. "Thanks, but I want to spend some time with my own family."

She nods understandingly.

There's a pause, and I feel like I should address what happened last night between her and Ryan. I chicken out. "Once you're done with Miss Gertie, do you want to drive down to La Push with me? You can meet the rest of Jake's friends, and I bet Seth will be there." _If Felicity is there, then of course Seth will_ _be_ , I think.

She blushes, and I resist the urge to grin.

"Uh, sure. I'll have to bring some homework though."

I roll my eyes, but agree. A sudden thought occurrs to me. "Hey wait. How are you getting there?"

"To Grandma's? I was going to walk."

"She lives fifteen miles away." She furrows her eyebrows, as if not understanding how that would be an obstacle.

"I'll jog then."

"Felicity, that's stupid. I'll drive-" I'm cut off by my phone ringing. Seeing that it's Jake, I gesture for Felicity to wait a minute while I answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh my God, you're awake." Jake's voice is playfully shocked.

"I have been known to occasionally rise before noon."

"Yeah, like four times."

"Ha. Ha." I joke back. "So what's up?"

"Seth and I have to run through Forks to pick up a few parts. Want to meet us?"

I smile. "Felicity and I were actually going to drive down in a few hours. But this works too!" An idea hits me, and my grin widens. "Hey, here's a thought. Felicity wants to go see her Grandma, and she insists on walking there." Even though he can't see me, I roll my eyes for Felicity's benefit. "How about instead, you and Seth come here, Seth drives her there, you and I go get the parts, and then we all meet in Forks?"

"Won't that be a bit awkward? I mean, I want it to work out just as much as you do, but they only met last night."

"Nah." I insist. "I think it will work out just fine."

Felicity jumps in. "I don't want them to have to go out of their way!"

I roll my eyes once more. "Felicity, it's fine. They're already on their way." Before she can argue further, I tell Jake 'bye' and hop up to get dressed.

There's a lull while Felicity looks down and plays with her fingers. I sigh. "What?"

"Will it be weird?"

"Of course not."

She continues like I haven't spoken. "He doesn't even know my grandma, and he barely knows me. I don't want him to feel awkward, or obligated."

I turn to face her. "Liss, trust me. It would take quite a lot to make Seth Clearwater feel _awkward_. You saw him last night-he's very amiable. Your grandma will probably want to keep him."

At this, she chuckles, but I can tell that she's still a bit uneasy.

I sigh. "If you don't want to spend time with Seth, I can call Jake and cancel…"

She shakes her head frantically, and I smile. "Then why are you putting up a fight?"

She's quiet as she looks down, playing with her fingers once again. I catch on. "Felicity, enjoying another guy's company is not cheating on your boyfriend." _Not that I'm_ not _encouraging something like that…._

"But in Ryan's eyes, it would be. Besides, I still feel guilty."

I turn and put my hands on her shoulders, forcing her to focus. "You are letting a nice guy-a friend of a friend that you get along well with-give you a ride. It's honestly not a big deal. It's not even a little deal."

At this, she chuckles. "Okay."

"Good." I drop my hands and straighten back up. "But if you just wanted to make out with him in the car…"

"Nessie!" She throws her hands up in humored exasperation and we dissolve into laughing fits.

 **Felicity's POV**

About a half hour later, there's a knock on the guest room door.

"Come in!"

Nessie's grandma enters the room. "Good morning girls! How did you sleep?"

"Great! Thank you so much for setting this room up." I smile at Esme.

"Oh, I'm just glad I had an excuse to do it. I love decorating and designing."

"Really?" I'm intrigued. "I like to think that I enjoy it, but in reality I get bored and leave projects unfinished. You should've seen my room back home."

She chuckles, as does Nessie.

"I just came up here to let you two know that breakfast is ready and the boys are here."

"Yay!" Nessie races down the stairs, and Esme and I chuckle as we follow her at a slightly slower pace.

"Mornin' Esme!" Seth hugs her, and out of the corner of my eye I see Nessie's Aunt Rosalie roll her eyes. _Huh. Not sure how I feel about that._ "Good morning, Felicity!" I finish descending the stairs and am greeted by a quick hug from Seth. I can't help but smile and hug him back.

"Good morning Seth, Jake."

Jake looks up from staring at Nessie just long enough to smile at me. I grin at them.

"Would you all like breakfast?" Esme offers. We nod enthusiastically.

I follow everyone into the kitchen and sit at the counter between Seth and Nessie. Not too long after that, our plates are piled with pancakes and bacon.

"So," Seth turns to me, already on his second plate. "What's the plan for today?"

I finish chewing. "Well, my grandma is expecting me around 9:45, it's 9:03 now, and I'm guessing it takes about twenty minutes to get there from here. So we should probably leave around 9:20?"

Seth nods. "9:20 it is. Lunch plans are flexible, so we can stay as long as you like."

I smile. "Great." He smiles back. We're stuck like that for a while.

We're interrupted by the sound of someone bounding down the stairs. "Morning everyone." Emmett hops into the kitchen, Grabbing Rosalie by the waist and kissing her. Esme pretends to be annoyed, but can't quite manage it.

"Jeep's packed, we're gonna head out."

Nessie asks the question before I can. "Where are you going?"

Emmett's eyes gleam. "Hunting, about twenty miles west. We'll be back late tonight.

She gets up to hug him. "You and Uncle Jazz?"

"And Alice."

My eyes widen. No matter how hard I try, I can't picture petite, delicate Alice picking up a gun and shooting down an animal five times her weight. Renesmee's dad must be thinking along the same lines, because he chuckles.

Nevertheless, Alice joins us in the kitchen, dressed in a very practical-yet very fashionable-outfit. She grins. "We'll see you girls tomorrow if you're asleep when we get home. Felicity, it was so nice to meet you." She hugs us both and kisses me on the cheek before grabbing Emmett's arm and leading him outside to the garage.

I glance at Seth. "We should probably go, too."

He nods and stands.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, Esme. And breakfast. That was the best I've eaten in awhile!"

Nessie grins. "Neither of us like cooking. Liss is _good_ at it,"

"I just don't like taking the time to do it." I finish. Everyone chuckles.

"Well, anytime you two want a home-cooked meal, don't hesitate to call." I can see in Esme's eyes that she means this.

"Thank you." I give her a hug, as does Seth, and we start towards the door.

"Liss? Your bag?"

"Oh, right!" I hurry to the living room, where Nessie is meeting me with my bag.

She playfully rolls her eyes. "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Bye."

I follow Seth out to a brownish-green truck parked in the front, presumably his.

"It's not pretty, but it drives."

I grin. "I like things that have character."

He holds the passenger side door open, and I climb in, smiling.

"Okay, so get out of this driveway and turn right." Seth nods and begins to drive.

"What do you need the parts for?"

He grins. "We're building a car."

My eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. " _Building a car_?" He chuckles. "I thought you could only do that in factories with conveyer belts...I've never known anyone to just casually say that they're _building_ a car."

He laughs again at my incredulity. "It's not gonna be a nice car, but we can make some money off of it. I can show you what we're doing later today."

"Okay." I grin at his offer.

"So tell me. You seem really close to your family. Why move to the other side of the country?"

I take a moment to think before answering. "I love my family, I really do. I've just spent most of my life trapped in one place. I always new I would use college as an opportunity to explore someplace new. The scholarship to Washington University helped me make my decision."

"Do you think you'll finish out school here?"

"Oh yeah." I answer with certainty. "I haven't seen much of Washington, but so far I love it. When I have a free weekend, I want to explore. Maybe go hiking."

"I know a few great trails...we could go sometime?"

A smile spreads across my face without my consent. "Please."

He turns his head to smile at me and we continue the drive to Grandma's house.

 **A/n Hey there! I'm getting a little stuck with this story. Please PM me with any suggestions or ideas! I'll give credit, of course. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/n Hi guys! I am determined to finish this story before the middle of August!**

 **Felicity's POV**

"Hi, Grandma!" She flings the door open with a huge smile on her face.

"Felicity, my dear! Come in, come in! Oh, who is this strapping young fellow?" She's caught sight of Seth, who is standing behind me.

"This is Seth Clearwater. Seth, this is my Grandma Gertrude."

"Nice to meet you." He reaches around me to shake her hand enthusiastically.

"No more Ryan, I take it?" A mischievous glint is in Grandma's eyes.

"Oh, Seth is just a friend. I actually only met him last night!" I turn to smile at Seth, and our eyes lock. He has the loveliest brown eyes...they remind me of melting chocolate. He responds to my smile with a sideways smile of his own, and I blush a little. Cursing my lack of control over my face, I turn to Grandma. "How have you been?"

She leads us into the living room and beckons us to sit. Seth and I sit on the couch across from the chair Grandma occupies, but we leave a little space between us. For some reason, I itch to close the gap. I do not, however, and focus on Grandma.

"Oh, nothing too exciting. Retirement is treating me well, although those idiotic faculty members still ask me to come in and write curriculum. Sometimes I get to see the kids, though, and that's nice. I'm planning a trip to Spain."

" _What?_ " My shock bubbles out in the form of a laugh.

She nods proudly. "In March. I have enough money saved up, and I'm not getting any younger, so I decided I should go while I'm still mobile. Fred, poor Fred, do you remember Fred? Poor Fred fell and broke his hip. The doctors say it will take him years to learn how to properly walk again-he _refuses_ to have a surgery-but I suspect he hasn't got but four or five years left. He's quite old."

I vaguely remember an elderly man named Fred, but nothing too specific comes to mind. "Well, that's amazing, Grandma! Depending when in March, I can house-sit. Spring Break is March...something."

"That would be wonderful, dear, thank you! Once you find out the dates, give me a call and I'll buy my tickets based on that."

"Sure!"

"But enough about me. Tell me all about college!"

I blush, suddenly a little self-conscious under their stares. "It's pretty good! I love my roomate, Nessie. My first week of classes was fun, although I already have enough homework to keep me busy. I joined a zoology club on campus, which will hopefully open the door for internships and such. I've made a couple of friends in my classes, but I haven't had much time to explore campus. I think I'll probably do that next weekend. Seth says there are some good hiking trails around here, so hopefully we can check those out soon." Out of the corner of my eye, I see him grin and nod.

"And Ryan?"

"He's Ryan." Grandma chuckles humorlessly in response. I try again. "Uh, he's actually in the process of joining a fraternity right now. I'm not sure what it's called, but he seems to like it."

"Be careful at parties." Grandma warns.

"Of course." I smile reassuringly.

"Seth, tell me a little about yourself."

He straightens. "Yeah! I live on the La Push Reservation with some friends. I work in an auto-repair shop that my buddy Jake runs. Jake is actually her roommate's boyfriend. That's how I got to meet her!" He points at me, and I grin and flip my hair jokingly. "I'm taking some general online classes now and eventually I'll pick something more concrete to study. I like to run." For some reason, he smirks, as if there's a joke I'm missing.

"Well Seth, it is _so_ nice to meet you." Grandma sits back in her chair for a moment and stares at us with a smile. "I'll go make us a snack."

I stand. "Oh, I can do that, Grandma."

"No, no, you stay here." She stands and pats my hand. "I'll be back in just a few minutes with some cheese and crackers." She leaves the room and Seth and I are alone.

I turn towards him. "What does the rest of our day look like?" _Our._

He grins. "After we're finished here-no rush, by the way-we'll get second lunch with Jake and Nessie" I chuckle, "and then head to La Push. You can meet some more of the guys and I can show you the beach."

"Sounds like a nice day!" We smile at each other, and our eyes lock once more. Grandma walks into the room; I take a deep breath and look away, biting back a wider smile.

The three of us eat the snacks Grandma provides and continue talking about random things. I tell Grandma of my plans to return home for Christmas and invite her to come with me. She says she'll think about it, but I expect her to say no. She rarely gets along with the other members of my family. Even though my parents named me after her-Felicity is her middle name-there are some hard feelings lingering from a wedding a few years back. I didn't attend the wedding, so I'm still not sure what it's all about, but I know that there was a big fight and Grandma left in a huff.

After about two hours, I decide it's time to leave. We exchange hugs and I promise to visit at least once a month. Grandma practically begs Seth to come back with me-she adores him-and he agrees with one of his easy grins.

We walk back to Seth's truck and he holds the door open for me again. "Thank you."

"Sure."

We drive to a diner Nessie likes to meet up with her and Jake, who have been busy gathering the parts needed for the car. They're already there with seats saved and food ordered.

"Liss, I got you something with chicken. You like chicken, right?" Nessie seems distracted. A quick look under the table tells me Jacob's hand running up and down her thigh might just be the reason.

"I do, thank you."

Seth gives me a side roll of his eyes. I suppress a chuckle, but agree. This could get annoying.

"How was your morning?"

"Hmm?" Nessie finally actually looks at me. "Oh, it was fine. We got the stuff!" Jacob's eyes never leave Nessie.

Seth decides to give them a little space. "I'm gonna go pick a song on the jukebox. Felicity, wanna come?"

I practically jump out of my seat. "Yes please."

As I walk away from the table, I hear Jacob whisper in Nessie's ear. "I am so in love with you." My heart aches. Ryan never says things like that.

"What do you want to hear?"

"Hmmm." I purse my lips as I think. "The Killers."

He dips his head in approval and picks a song. _Somebody Told Me_ blasts from the speakers as we walk back to our booth. Jacob and Nessie seem to have collected themselves, but after Jacob's sweet confession, I don't think them being all cuddly would bother me anymore.

Nessie starts up the conversation. "How was your grandma?"

"She's doing well, I think! She has a trip planned for Spain that she's really excited about, which makes me happy. She loved Seth." I turn to look at Seth, who has a proud look on his face.

"Nice, nice." Jacob reaches across the table to pat Seth on the shoulder.

The waitress delivers the food to the table, then. We're silent for a few minutes as we focus on our food, and then we drift back to conversation. Soon, we're finished and hopping back into cars so we can head to La Push.

"The guys are going to love you. They're all so excited to meet you," Seth tells me once we're on the road.

"You've told them about me?" For reasons I can't explain, this makes me happy, and Seth notices.

"Well yeah. You're awesome."

I laugh once and look at my hands, which are playing with each other. "Thank you." I want to say more, but Ryan's face pops into my brain, so I change topics. "What will we do first?"

He doesn't seem affected by my slight change in topics. "Jake really wants to work on the car, so I imagine he and Nessie will stay at his house while I show you around. Does that work for you?"

"Yep! I have an assignment due Monday, so I'll have to get a little bit of reading done while I'm here. I brought my book." I pull it out of my backpack for him to see even though he's driving.

" _Things Fall Apart_ , by Chinua Achebe," he reads off the cover.

"It's for a historiography course. I have to have the first six chapters read by Monday. I'm on chapter four."

"Do you like to read?"

I can't help the smile that crosses my face. "I love it. School books aren't always as interesting as I would like them to be, but this one is incredibly interesting. It makes you think a lot."

"I'm not much of a reader, but if you're recommending it, I'll have to give it a shot."

My smile grows. "I can lend it to you when I'm done with it?"

"Great!" He smiles back at me.

He asks me questions about what I like to read all the way to La Push.

 **A/n Let me know what you think! Hopefully I can get back into the feel of this writing because it's been a few months since I've written. Sorry for any mistakes! It's Grad Party season, so I didn't have time to edit. Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/n I thought I would post twice since I haven't updated in so long. Here ya go!**

 **Jacob's POV**

"We'll meet you at the beach at 3:30," Nessie tells Seth and Felicity.

Seth's nose crinkles in guilt. "Are you sure you don't need me to stay and help, Jake? I don't want you to have to work on the car by yourself…" I see the conflict in his eyes. He's torn between his duty to me and his duty to his imprint. Both have incredibly strong pulls, but duty to his imprint might be stronger. None of us have had that put to the test, yet, but I suppose we'll find out one day.

"Don't worry about it, I'll have Ness. Go have fun with the others, show Felicity a good time." Felicity's face color shifts towards pink, and I hold back a chuckle. I remember when Bella used to blush all the damn time.

"Okay, bye guys!" Seth turns away from us and Felicity follows, sending a wave over her shoulder.

I pop the hood and throw off my shirt, eager to get to work.

"Oooooo!" Nessie cheers as I throw my shirt into the corner.

I scoff at her but flex my pecs, playing along.

"You're just so _hot_ , Jacob Black," She says mockingly, popping her foot into the air.

I smirk at her. "Don't you forget it." I hear her heart flutter and I grin. Knowing I heard, Nessie rolls her eyes.

She flips on the radio and sings softly as I work. After a few minutes, she turns the radio down so we can talk. "How do you think it's going with them?"

"It's only been a day."

"I know, but based on the few hours they've had together, how would you say it's going?"

I shrug. "I can't see into her head. If we want an accurate answer, we need your father." I'm half mocking, half serious

"Jaaaaakkkeeee." She's exasperated, so I give in.

"I guess it's going well? It's just a completely different situation from what I've experienced. You and I kinda always knew where we were heading, and I was allowed to be completely honest with you all the time. Felicity and Seth still have a lot of hurdles to jump through. She's got the boyfriend, and she's not aware of the wolf-thing, or the vampire thing, or the _you_ thing. Some people don't take to that well. I hope she doesn't feel lied to by the time he finally does tell her. And can he tell her about the shapeshifting without outing you and your family? I just don't know."

She huffs. "Yes, but _ignoring_ all of that."

I think for a moment. "Seth is enamored with her, I can tell you that for certain. And he's happy, right now. Sure, he would like to be with her romantically at some point, but any time with her will be amazing. When he's with her in any capacity, he feels complete. I don't know about Felicity, you know her better than I do." At Nessie's frustrated look, I continue. "But, I'm pretty sure she's already at least semi-attached to Seth. They'll both feel the loss when you guys head back tomorrow. Just like us." At this, I turn my attention back to fixing up the car. Sensing my sadness, Nessie comes up behind me and wraps her arms around my torso.

"It's only for a few days at a time. Maybe next weekend, instead of me coming down here, you can drive up to school and spend the weekend with me. We could do college-y things."

I grin, but am still sad.

Nessie pulls herself up to kiss the side of my neck. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Still not satisfied with the state of my mood, Nessie turns me around to face her. "I really, _really_ love you." She stands on her toes to kiss my lips. Her arms wrap around my neck and mine go to her waist. She moves to deepen the kiss, and I decide it's time for me to take a little initiative. Reaching around her, I slam the hood of the car down, pick her up, and place her on the now-closed hood of the car. She gasps excitedly and the sound sends shivers down my spine. I crawl up a little so I'm hovering over her and resume kissing her. Her breathing picks up and I take the hint. I pull myself off of her-such a difficult task-just long enough to locate the remote that closes the garage door. As it closes, I slide back up to her head and pick up where I left off.

I didn't get much more work done on the car.

 **Felicity's POV**

"Okay, Sam said everyone would be at his and Emily's house," Seth explains as we walk up to one of the houses on the Reservation.

"Alright." For some reason, my heart picks up and my breath catches in my throat. "Wait, wait."

Seth stops in his tracks and looks at me with concern. "What's wrong?"

My mouth feels dry. "How many people are in there? Is there anything I need to know about them before we go?" For reasons I can't explain, it is very important to me that his friends like me.

Seth thinks for a moment, which I appreciate. I'd rather have a truthful answer than a reassuring one. "Sam, Emily, Quil, Claire, Paul, Rachel, Embry, and Colin, so eight people. Emily has a scar on her face and arm, but she doesn't like to talk about it, so it's best not to ask. I can tell you about it later, though. They're going to absolutely love you." The intensity in his stare makes me believe him. "If you don't want to do this, that's perfectly fine! We can go to the beach and walk around or we can meet up with Nessie and Jake. It's completely up to you."

A warm feeling floods my heart. Seth and I have been friends for not even 24 hours and he's already being the most considerate and kind friend I've ever had. Looking into his eyes once more to see the honesty there, I take a deep breath. "No, I want to meet your friends. I'm not sure why I freaked out. Let's go."

He gives me a reassuring smile and opens the door. "Hey guys, come meet Felicity!"

Four giant men and two average-height women pile into the living room. A chorus of "Hey, Felicity!", and "Nice to meet you!" fill the room.

"Felicity, this is Quil, Claire, Paul, Rachel-that's Jake's older sister-, Embry, and Colin. Guys, this is Felicity Ferryn."

"Wow, it's awesome that Seth finally-" The one named Quil starts towards me excitedly, ready to envelop me in a hug, but his sentence is met with five pairs of eyes giving him wide looks and shaking their heads. Quil glances around in confusion before realizing that he's not supposed to say whatever he was about to say. "-Finally made a friend. We were worried we were all he had." We all chuckle, but I can tell they're hiding something from me. I look at Seth who just shrugs, although there's a wistful glint in his eye. I make a mental note-I wish I had my notepad-to ask him about it later.

"Let's go see Sam and Emily." Seth steers me into the kitchen and I see two people, presumably Sam and Emily, who are a bit older than the rest of the people I've met so far.

"Hello, Felicity." As Emily comes to hug me, I see her scar. Ignoring it as Seth advised, I hug her back.

"You have a lovely home."

She smiles. "Thank you. I was just making some cookies for the boys, would you like some?"

"Oh, no thank you. I've eaten two lunches already."

Knowing laughter fills the room. "That's what happens when you hang out with a Quileute boy. They devour _everything_ , and you can't help but participate." Claire, I think, laughs good-naturedly as Quil pokes her side then kisses her cheek. My heart warms at the sight.

"Where are Jake and Nessie?" Embry asks.

"Working in his garage," Seth says casually.

 _Aaaaah's_ fill the room and some people wolf-whistle.

"Gross, guys, that's my baby brother!" Rachel scrunches her nose and makes a face.

"What? You don't want to think about him gettin it on in his dirty garage? Or you don't want to think about him gettin it on at all?" Quil advances on Rachel as he eggs her on, seeming to do his best to make her uncomfortable.

Colin swipes four cookies and jumps to the corner of the kitchen.

Rachel's displeasure shows. "Quil, stop, that's disgusting."

"Nuh-uh. It's a natural part of life. Don't you want your brother to be happy? Besides, it's not like you and Paul don't have your fun. You know, sometimes I can hear you all the way across the street when-"

"Back off, that's enough." Paul reaches around Rachel to shove Quil back to his side of the kitchen. Quil throws his hands up in mock-surrender as the rest of the room laughs. I can't help the laugh that bubbles in my chest nor the mental ' _go, Nessie!'_ for having some fun with Jake.

The ten of us talk and get to know each other for about two hours. I cave and have a cookie-it's delicious. 3:25 rolls around too quickly for my liking, but Seth and I promised to meet Jake and Nessie, so I nudge his arm and remind him of the time. We exchange hugs with everyone- _man, the guys are so dang_ warm!-and head out of the house. It's not very far to the beach, so Seth suggests we walk.

"I really like your friends."

He smiles proudly. "They really like you."

I grin. "Good."

We're at the beach in no time, and I can't help but gasp. The grey of the water and the grey of the sky bounce off each other, creating the look of a grey moonstone. The beach's sand is filled with tiny pink, yellow, blue, green, and orange stones and shells. "Woah."

Seth grins. "Right? Let's set up somewhere so you can read your book." I pick a spot near the water, but not near enough that it hits us. Seth lays out a blanket he borrowed from Emily and Sam, which was smart of him. I lay on my stomach facing the water and open my book. Seth lays down beside me. He's staring at me but trying to make it look like he's staring at the water. I bite back a smile. The wind blows, and I do my best to suppress a shiver. Seth notices though, and reaches over my back to pull the blanket around me. I smile my thanks and return to my book. After a while, Seth asks a question. "Would you mind reading aloud?"

Curious as to why, but not against it, I oblige. "Not at all."

Seth closes his eyes as I read, every now and then opening them to adjust my blanket.

Nessie and Jake arrive around 4:10 looking freshly showered.

"Hey! Sorry we're late," Nessie begins. "We uh-had to deal with the...radiator of the...car, and-oh, screw it. We smashed." Nessie and Jake high-five.

" _Smashed_?" I laugh. "I've never heard it called that."

"Really? Well do you get it? You know, the-"

"Oh, please don't feel the need to explain!" I interject quickly, "I get the visual."

Nessie laughs impishly and spreads out a blanket of her own for her and Jake. The four of us are just beginning to talk when my cell phone rings. _Ryan_.

"I have to answer him," I say apologetically.

I stand and begin to walk away to pick up the call, but Seth stops me. "Take this." He wraps the blanket we had been laying on around my shoulders and gives me a little pat. I can't help but giggle. Composing myself, I begin walking down the line of the water as I take Ryan's call.

"Hey."

"How's Forks?"

"Good, thanks for asking. I've actually made a lot of friends. Nessie and Jake know some really nice people."

"That's good. Hey, I'm sorry for the way I talked to you last night. I was a little drunk and angry, and I took it out on you."

"Yeah, it definitely wasn't my favorite conversation we've ever had...thank you for the apology."

"You're welcome." I can hear the satisfaction in his voice. "So when are you coming back to school?"

"Nessie and I drive back tomorrow afternoon. She has an early class on Monday."

"Got it. So I'll meet you in your room around five?"

"Sure." _Why am I more than a little reluctant to say yes?_

"Good. Love you."

"Love you too…" I mumble as I hang up the phone.

 **A/n There's chapter eight! Please let me know what you think of the characters, their relationships, the general feel of the story, where you think it's heading, what you would like to see, etc. Thank you to everyone who favorites, follows, and/or reviews! I appreciate you all :) And remember: You matter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/n Since I haven't updated in a few weeks, here's a slightly longer chapter!**

 **Felicity's POV**

Sunday morning goes by quickly. Esme makes cinnamon rolls that are to _die for_ , Jake and Seth come over, and we all just hang out and talk. It's comfortable. Before long, it's Sunday afternoon and Nessie and I are throwing our stuff in her car to head back to school. There's a prolonged goodbye between Nessie and Jake, which I do my best to ignore so they can have their privacy. Seth shuffles up next to me.

"Have a good week at school! It was nice getting to hang out."

"It was," I agree, surprised by how much I mean it. "I'll uh, see you next time?" It comes out as more of a question.

"Oh, definitely." He smiles and I like the feeling of reassurance that flows through me.

I give a little wave, hug Esme goodbye, and then head out to the car.

The drive back is somber. Nessie is sad about leaving Jake, which I understand. What's confusing to me is how uneasy I feel as we get farther and farther away from Forks.

{...}

We get back to the dorm and Nessie goes straight to her room to catch up on some homework she didn't do over the weekend. As I start to do the same, I get a text from Ryan and remember that I told him we would hang out. Pushing aside the annoyance I feel, I respond telling him I'm home now and he can come over. He enters my room without knocking, kisses me quickly, and then plops on the bed and opens his arms for me to join him, which I do.

There's not a whole lot to talk about, so I ask him about his weekend.

"It was good," he answers enthusiastically. "Thomas and I hit up a couple parties and got _wasted_ , so that was fun. I danced with this really hot girl-don't worry though, I wasn't going to take her home or anything, _obviously_ -"

I try to refrain from rolling my eyes. _Seriously?_

"-did a little bit of homework yesterday and then signed up for an intramural soccer team. So yeah, fun weekend. Yours?"

"Pretty much the same as I said on the phone. Nessie's grandparents are so welcoming and kind, as is the rest of her family. Her teeny tiny aunt likes to hunt, which is a hilarious sight. I met some of Jake's friends, who seem great. Basically everyone there is just incredibly welcoming. I really like it. Oh! Also, Grandma is going to Spain over Spring Break. I think I'll house-sit for her."

At this, Ryan shifts so he can look at me incredulously. "You're going to spend your _Spring Break_ house-sitting for an old woman?"

Vexed, I sit up. "She's my grandmother, Ryan."

"So what? You're young and hot, Spring Break was practically made for you. I can't believe you're going to give it up to water your Grandma's plants in a deadbeat town."

I stand up and take a few steps away from him. "It's not a deadbeat town! There are national parks, and trails, and beaches, and _nice people_! I'd rather be around that than a bunch of drunk people making bad decisions."

"No, what I'm hearing is that you'd rather do all that boring shit than spend time with me, your _boyfriend_."

"It's not like you would pay attention to me anyway! You'd be so drunk off your ass you wouldn't even notice if I was there or not."

"Not true!" Now he's standing too and we're in a screaming match.

"It _is_! Even when you're sober you forget to introduce me to your friends. Remember that time we went bowling with those people and you _forgot_ me? You weren't drunk then! Imagine how bad it will be when that's all you do for an entire week! I've told you so many times before that I _hate_ " this comes out as more of a growl "the drinking. Some light stuff here and there is fine, but it seems like that's all you do!"

"No. No!" He's in my face now. "I joined an intramural soccer team, I told you that!"

"Wonderful!" I throw my hands in the air. " _Drinking buddies!_ "

He shakes his head and makes his way to the door. "You know, I was really excited to see you when you got back today. I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up if I had known you would be coming home as a bitch."

"That's rude. You can't belittle me and call me names every time I'm frustrated."

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't so sensitive. Call me when you grow up." Ryan slams the door as he leaves.

I take a pillow off my bed, press my face into it, and scream out my frustrations. It helped a little, but not enough, so I head to my closet and throw on my running clothes. I knock on Nessie's door as I leave so she won't worry when I'm gone.

"I'm going for a jog."

She pokes her head out of her room. "Everything okay? I heard the screaming."

"We'll see. He and I both need to calm down and then talk again. This just happens sometimes."

For some reason, Nessie looks confused, but she lets me leave without any further questioning. I head out of the dorm and begin jogging along the paths of campus. I pass one of Ryan's friends, who gives me a dirty look. _So he's already been spreading the word. Great._ I roll my eyes at him and pick up the pace.

{...}

By Tuesday, Ryan and I have made up, although his apology isn't as sincere as I had hoped. On Wednesday I get a stomach ache, but I ignore it and hope it will go away. On Thursday though, I realize it will not be that easy when I struggle with getting out of bed. Around 9:30, Nessie knocks on my door.

"Come in," I groan.

"Hey, Liss. Everything okay? Don't forget that you have a class at eleven."

I almost smile at her trying to take care of me, but it just doesn't happen.

"I think I'm getting sick."

Her brow furrows. "What are your symptoms?"

"Nothing specific...I just feel _wrong_."

"Ohhh." A look of knowing crosses her face, but she doesn't say much besides that. She sits next to me on the bed and plays with my hair. "I think you'll feel better once you get up and have some breakfast. It's sunny outside today...maybe a walk would perk you up. I have to leave soon for class but we're both free around one? What about a walk then?"

I smile at her. "That sounds nice, thanks."

"Sure." She smiles and heads to the door. "Oh, by the way," her voice is almost forcibly casual, "I invited Jake and Seth up this weekend. I hope you don't mind, but they'll have to stay here. Jake'll sleep with me and Seth can take the couch."

I feel a tug in my emotions, and I pause. _What if..._ A theory begins to take shape.

"No problem, thanks for letting me know," I say distractedly as I begin to think.

As soon as Nessie is gone, I unlock my phone and click on the contact I added less than a week ago. _Seth Clearwater_. I dial, and he picks up on the second ring.

"Felicity? Hey!" He sounds nothing less than elated, and I purse my lips in confusion. _Surely it can't be because I called…_ Nonetheless, I feel the weight in my heart lessen.

"Hi, Seth. Uh...what's up?" I clear my throat, hoping he can't detect the fact that I have no real plan or excuse for calling him.

"Nothing important. Jake sent me on a parts run, so I'm heading to Forks and maybe Port Angeles if they don't have what I need in Forks."

"How far away is Port Angeles?"

"Little over an hour, so nothing bad. How's your day going so far?"

I chuckle guiltily. "It's actually not going. I woke up about ten minutes ago."

"You? _You?_ Miss 'Scheduled and Regimented' slept-in? I don't know how to handle this. I think I need a minute."

I laugh loudly. "Okay, okay, it's one time!"

"Well sure, now it's one time. But a couple of months down the road you're sleeping till noon just like Nessie."

"Oh Lord, please, no!" Now we're both laughing. " _Anyways_ ," our chuckles die down and I switch topics, "Nessie tells me you guys are coming for a visit this weekend."

"Oh, yeah." He suddenly sounds sheepish. "Sorry about that. I probably should have asked before I jumped-"

"No, no!" I interrupt him. "I'm happy you're visiting! That's not where I was going with this." He makes a noise of what seems to be relief. "I was going to suggest that maybe we all go hiking? I know there are some trails around the school, and I thought maybe we could pack a picnic lunch and see a waterfall and follow a river...or something like that." The plan begins to take shape in my head, and suddenly I am incredibly attached to this idyllic day in the woods with my best friends.

"Yeah, I'd love to! That sounds like a great day. Nessie and Jake will be excited about it, too."

"Definitely," I grin.

We fill the next hour with conversations about random things and tidbits of information about each other. Too soon, 10:30 rolls around and I have to get ready to attend my 11:00 class. I tell Seth that I have to go and I'm looking forward to seeing him this weekend. He says the same. When I hang up, my suspicions are confirmed. I feel lighter, happier, not at all sick and emotionally upset like I did before I talked to him. The answer is simple: Seth makes me happy.

 **A/n Hi guys! I'm working on the next chapter right now, so hopefully that will be up soon. Thank you to everyone who has interacted with this story so far! I really appreciate feedback, so please review and let me know what you think of the characters/plots/etc., and also what you want to see more of in this story. Ryan will be out of the picture soon, so hang in there! And as always, please remember: You are important and you matter!**


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